With installations to be carried out in the next two months, GE Additive’s AEP puts desktop polymer systems in the hands of schoolchildren – while university students have been gaining access to metal systems – and connects students, machines and content via its Polar Cloud platform. Selected schools - there were 3,500 applicants this year - receive hardware, software, and a STEAM curriculum.

Through Polar Cloud, schools can access tools, software, and applications in a collaborative environment. They will receive either a DremelDigilab3D45 or a MonopriceVoxel polymer system, as well as a supply of filament, and lesson plans from STEAMtrax and Tinkercad. Each school will have its own store on the Polar Cloud platform, where design files can be uploaded and sold, with all proceeds going back to the school. They can also manage activities and data on student engagement, designs, prints, and other key performance indicators.

GE has embarked on this initiative in accordance with its long-term plans for the additive manufacturing sector, wanting to give future generations exposure to the technology as early as possible. In total, 2,001 primary and secondary schools in 36 countries have participated in the programme, giving 1,296,000 students access to 3D printing. The top five countries receiving printers are the United States, Australia, Canada, Spain, and the Republic of Ireland.